Notes From Carolina Panthers Training Camp

The defensive line. After losing defensive tackle Ma'ake Kemoeatu for the season, someone on this defensive line needs to step up and replace him.

Although no defensive linemen did bad, nobody impressed me much either. Rookie Corey Irvin, chosen in the third round, could take his place, but it looks like Nick Hayden will be the guy.

Wide Receivers. They have their starters in Muhammad and Smith, so that's not the issue. Dwayne Jarrett is set to be the slot receiver. But, after that, their is questions on who will be their fourth and fifth receiver.

The Rookies. Without a first round pick, Carolina was still able to select a great player in Everette Brown. He looks good...very good.

Quarterbacks. Jake Delhomme is the starter. Whether they signed another quarterback or not, he would be the starter, because Carolina loves him. But, I'm not too happy with the production of our backup quarterbacks. They missed many passes, especially Josh McCown.

Here are some random notes I took while I was there:

Julius Peppers looked fine out there. He was laughing with teammates and coaches, and was participating in every drill.

If I had to choose one backup quarterback out of McCown, Moore, and Hunter Cantwell, I'd choose Cantwell. He's the only one that looked like he knew what he was doing. I'm impressed with this undrafted rookie out of Louisville.

Carolina selected fullback Tony Fiammetta in the fourth round. He looks good, and I think he'll be a great fullback—but, I can't see the Panthers letting Brad Hoover go...he's been such a good player throughout the years.

Runningback Mike Goodson was also chosen in the fourth round. He's behind Williams and Stewart, but he will find his way into the game. He looks very good. I like him a lot. He's very quick, and will help the running game...even if you didn't think it was possible.

I don't think it'll be hard for Fox to pick which receivers to release. Kenneth Moore, Marcus Monk, Kevin McMahan, Jason Cherry, and Larry Beavers will all be released. They had some flashes, but nothing great.

Ryan Robinson and Jason Carter are looking great, at both kick returning and receiving. But will Fox keep both of them on the team? I hope so, because they both have huge potential.

The offensive line and defensive backs both looked great.

The only two weaknesses I could find were the backup quarterbacks and defensive tackle. Maybe we could grab somebody after preseason cuts.